August 1

1958 Era Records releases “To Know Him Is To Love Him” by The Teddy Bears on their Dore label and sends 500 copies to radio stations across the US. The song was written by group member Phil Spector, who was inspired by the words on his father’s tombstone. Spector’s father had committed suicide when Phil was 12.

1960 Elvis Presley is named Public Enemy #1 by the East German newspaper, Young World.

1963 The first Beatles Monthly Fan Club magazine was published. It continued until 1969 and at its peak was selling 350,000 copies a month.

1964 Johnny Burnette died in a boating accident while fishing at Clear Lake, California. He was 30 years old.

1968 Ronnie Spector files for divorce from her husband Phil after just three and a half months of marriage.

1969 Carl Wilson is indicted in Los Angeles for failure to perform required community service as a conscientious objector to military service.

1971 The concert for Bangla Desh was staged to raise money for victims of famine and war in that country. The show featured George Harrison, with some help from his friends Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ravi Shankar and some members of Bad Finger.

1973 American Graffiti premiered in Los Angeles and became something of a surprise hit.

1981 MTV (Music Television) started broadcasting music videos, 24 hours a day in the US.

1988 Cincinnati radio station, WCVG-AM, began broadcasting Elvis songs and trivia 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The format would last slightly over a year.

1994 The Rolling Stones turn down an invitation from President Bill Clinton to play at the White House.

1996 Bill Buchanan, who originated novelty records known as “break-ins” with his partner Dickie Goodman, died in Los Angeles of cancer at the age of 66. Break-in records used snippets of Top 40 hits as part of a comedy routine. Goodman committed suicide in 1989.